In a message dated 7/17/00 4:00:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, kenwiltzca@juno.com writes: > So > she was a maker of gowns or cloaks, wouldn't you say? They were probably the long cloaks made like a stole with arm holes. No sleeves just a place to put your arms through. I made some of them for the Allaire Village Auxiliary many years ago. You measure from finger tip to finger tip. Line the fabric. for warmth. Put the fabric around the wearers neck and shoulders like a stole, where the fabric meets under the arms you sew it (Just a few stitches to hold it on the wearer not a side seam) together forming sides, but leaving armholes. The front was closed with "frogs" those cloth fasteners that remind me of oriental clothing. The ones I made were only one fabric width wide. The children's were 1/2 width wide. In 1860 fabric was narrower on the bolt (approx. 30" wide). Today it is about 45" with the fall 2000 fabrics coming out in 42" widths. Joyce at the Jersey Shore who loves to work with old fabric.